Aromatic Tobaccos ... Hmm ... Give Them Another Shot?

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Smoking a Pipe Right Now
Staff member
Nov 16, 2008
8,764
4,932
St. Petersburg, FL
pipesmagazine.com
Is it time to re-visit aromatic pipe tobaccos? Fred Brown thinks so, and he nearly has me convinced. Here's an enjoyable read that has my mouth watering for a pipe.

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/the-pipe-pundit/aromatics-one-more-time/

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,348
After almost 30 years of smoking a pipe, every aromatic I smoke now tastes exactly as it smells. Not something I could have done in the first several years of smoking.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
Very good read, Kevin. I started with aros, like most of us likely did. I quickly found Black Frigate, which some don't necessarily consider an aro, but it did open my eyes to more English blends and then I tried Virginias, but through and through, I'm always coming back to find another great aro here and there. The cobs get a really good work out with all my new aros, but the experience is so worth it.

 
May 3, 2010
6,423
1,461
Las Vegas, NV
I absolutely suggest get in with aros to learn cadence and NOT get tongue bite. Then move to non-aros to learn leaf flavors. Once you get those down then revisit the aros and you'll get a lot more flavor out of the blends and they'll be much more enjoyable for you.

 

trouttimes

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
5,169
21,491
Lake Martin, AL
I'm definitely an English blend guy but every so often I get a hankering for something sweet. Cadence is very important with aromatics or I get burn.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Yeah, absolutely. I enjoy a well-balanced tobacco-forward aromatic, and occasionally a strongly flavored sweet, rum or whiskey. Non-aro blends are first in my heart, but I wouldn't miss the aromatic change of pace. Over ninety percent of pipe tobacco sales are aromatic, so it is the backbone of the industry and supports the non-aromatic blends; remember that.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
...tried to edit this back in, but the system says the post is too old ... so, many old time pouch and tub over-the-counter blends are subtle aromatics. Even that old stalwart Granger is technically aromatic. The PC catalog says the flavoring is molasses; imagine that.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Yes, that's Russ O.'s stat, but I couldn't remember the exact figure, I think over ninety-five percent. I think non-pipe-smoking spouses are probably voting!

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
Thank Goodness that 90% who are smoking aromatics aren't also competing for Esoterica, Rattray's, Gawith, Germain's, et al!!! It's hard enough to get them already.
I find that I enjoy aromatics more now than when I started smoking a pipe, even though I only smoke them maybe 10% of the time. IMHO, aromatics are the most difficult style to smoke due to the high moisture content and sticky toppings. Only after experience was I able to properly pack and smoke aromatics so that I could keep them lit, not burn my tongue, and actually taste the flavors.

 
IDK Craig, Esoterica, Germains, Rattrays, and Gawith all have some very good aromatics. I've been smoking an aromatic in the morning with my coffee for years now. I have been enjoying exploring all of the different vanilla blends. It's interesting how different companies interpret the vanilla differently.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
Good read. I agree completely. I too am at the point in my journey where aromatics are rotating back in sometimes.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,348
I still don't want a really damp tobacco, but there are good ones out there.
Try packing them very lightly Nathan and they'll perform better than you think, even when fairly damp.

 
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